Wearable telecommunication devices based on a necklace, collar, neckband, headband or any similar load-carrying structure are often used as an interface between a human being and a technical system, which may be a telecommunication system, a computer system, an entertainment system, a medical system, a security system, etc.
In order to make interaction with a wearable device comfortable, its form-factor has to be as ergonomic as possible, i.e., it has to correspond to human anatomical characteristics, and it should not stand out against the user's body when the user is wearing the device. Wearable devices of small thickness tend to have a rather big surface area adjacent to the user's body, in order to provide enough space to accommodate their components; this requires the devices to be flexible in those portions which are adjacent to the human body, for replicating, without bristling, all bends occurring in complex kinematics chains of the human body in motion.
One way of making these devices comfortable for users and barely visible for people around the users, is to wear the devices under clothes. However, in this case, it may be difficult to control them using keys or buttons without looking at them. In addition, erroneous actions of keys or buttons of an accessory must be avoided. These erroneous actions may occur due to movement of the user's trunk and limbs, accidental pressing by a belt of a bag hanging over a shoulder, or by a seat belt in a car. Further, it is desirable to avoid twisting a device located on the user's body, which may impede pressing a necessary button moved out of the area of tactile sensing.
The present invention is aimed at providing a modular electronic communication device wearable on the user's body, having control means easily accessible for the user, while being protected against accidental pressing thereof, and not hindering the user's movements, and which is barely visible for people around the users.
The invention is also aimed at solving a technical problem of winding earphone cords and parking earphones in a non-operational position of the earphones.
Known stereo headsets in a form of a necklace, a collar, or a neckband, either of a half-loop or closed loop type, do not solve these tasks entirely.
A known headphone, earphone or earbud system (US20140037102 A1) includes a device for retracting cords, fixed on a lanyard or a necklace. These cords are connected to the rear part of the necklace and may be wound when the headphones are in a non-operational position. The device for retracting cords includes two stacked retraction mechanisms; main drawback of this solution is great thickness of the device disposed on the user's dorsal surface, which may impede motion of the user's head and neck. Details of the retraction mechanisms are not described; in particular, principle of locking the cord coils is not disclosed.
There is a known earphone holding structure (US20130208407 A1) for retracting a headphone cord and for securing a headphone when it is in a non-operational position, wherein the holding structure is positioned inside an electronic apparatus. The earphone holding structure is supposed to be embedded in a portable device like a tabled computer and is too massive for using in wearable devices.
There is a known headset (US2008143954 A1), (US20110051982 A1) in a form of spectacles comprising headphones to be secured to the spectacle frame when the headphones are in a non-operational position, and connected by separate cords to an electronic unit located on the user's occiput. The headset has a considerable weight and the electronic unit observably extends from the user's head surface. This makes wearing the headset visible to others and inconvenient.
There is a device (US20110130174 A1) for retracting and winding a headphone cord. Headphones are connected to an electronic apparatus by separate cords, and the device is positioned on the surface of the apparatus, which may be placed in a pocket or fastened to a belt, etc. This makes wearing the headphone noticeable and inconvenient. The device does not have any controls means.
There is a known wearable modular interface strap device (U.S. Pat. No. 7,618,260 B2) for supporting multiple units. In some embodiments the strap device is arranged as a necklace. However, this device does not address the earphone placement problem, nor provides blind control of the device through clothes.
All headsets in a form of a neckband available on the market are intended to be worn over clothes; the problem of nesting or placement of headphones and their cords, when the headsets are in a non-operational position, is not addressed by those headsets.
In a Bluetooth neckband-like headset Samsung Gear Circle, headphones are fixed on the neckband by magnets, when the headset is in a non-operational position, but this fixation is not reliable and the headphones tend to come loose from the neckband, and catch on clothes and surrounding objects.
The problem of positioning (parking) headphones and their cords, when the headsets are in a non-operational position, is partially solved in a Bluetooth headset LG Tone Infinim. This device is equipped with a retraction mechanism based on a spiral spring for retracting headphones. However, the spiral spring is not powerful enough to drive a cord coil, as energy of the spiral spring is insufficient for overcoming the friction force between the cord and a cord guide; moreover, the spring force is unstable, and it is minimal in the end of the winding process, when the traction is maximal; therefore, winding a long cord is not guaranteed.
A possible solution to this problem may be through the use of an electric motor. However, taking into account size of a device wearable under clothes, using an electric motor may also be insufficient. Even with electric motors having the best torque/size ratiom like Faulhaber 0816P006SR having a speed of 16000 rpm and a reducer gear 1/16, 1/32 or 1/64, the retracting force may still be insufficient. Using a greater reduction ratio makes the winding time unacceptably long. This may be why motor-based cord winding mechanisms are rare in patent literature.
If a headphone cord is positioned over the user's auricle in an operational position and the cord path inside a retracting device makes the cord even longer, total length of a wound portion of the cord may be 33 cm or more. Meanwhile, in headsets like LG Tone Infinim equipped with a retraction mechanism, total length of winded portion of the cord is not greater than 23 cm. An additional drawback of this device is that two buttons have to be pressed to wind the cords. The buttons are located on both sides of the device, so the user has to use both hands to wind the cord at once or wind the cords alternately.
Therefore, there is a need for providing control of winding two cords by one button, with synchronous unlocking two coils.
Thus far, no wearable telecommunication device suitable for constant wearing has been designed. The device of the present invention provides improved user experience through easy use, reliable fixation thereof on the user's body, and preventing failures caused by the cords catching on surrounding objects. Moreover, this device shall have a suitable cord retraction mechanism. Additionally, parking headphones and their cords, when the headset is in a non-operational position, is reliable, easy and comfortable for the user.